The Second Tour: Uncut!
by OneLastBird
Summary: *Dramatic Voice*    ...and they enjoyed a new freedom hard won from the Tainted Coil.  However, deep within their world stirred a force so terrible that even the Gods forbade its mention.  The Black Host was about to rise again...  Rated for Language
1. Fear of the Dark

**I do not own Brutal Legend and its characters, nor do I own any of the bands or song names I may reference. This fic is just for fun.**

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When Eddie opened his eyes, the darkness he found himself in was so absolute, so suffocating that he thought he might be sinking through the Sea of Black Tears all over again. Even though he found his feet and stood up, the sense of dread that clutched like a vice around his heart was something he had only experienced while in those dark waters.

Luckily this was _Eddie Riggs_. Instead of cowering in fear like a pansy, he drew his axe and stood ready to hack off the head of anything that might attack. After several minutes of silence something dripped into his eyes, stinging them. "Ow! Damn it!" He wiped at it with his free hand and ended up with a thick liquid on his fingers. He sniffed at it and found the familiar scent of blood.

Gingerly, he felt his forehead until he found a large, tender bump with a half healed cut at the center.

He wasn't worried about the injury. It would be gone in a few hours anyways. What he did want to know, was how the Hell he hit his head in the first place. What was he doing? And where was he?

He was starting to feel less panicked now that nothing seemed to be interested in eating him. In that quiet moment he was able to realize that some light would really help the situation, so he padded blindly at his vest until he came up with his lighter, and with a click, was wielding the tiny flame against the shadows.

He was in some sort of underground tunnel. A great stalagmite rose from the floor not far to his right, and to his left was a maw of darkness. The walls had some sort of silvery substance that glinted in the light.

Curious he approached to have a closer look.

Something shiny... veins of metal maybe?

They were twisted into eerily familiar symbols that followed the course of the tunnel. If they were what he suspected, than he should be on the path down to the Motor Forge, except that they should be glowing with arcane power, lighting the path.

And yes, he now remembered what had happened. With a new sense of urgency he rushed over to the stalagmite, into which a smoking Duce was crashed. He pushed it back a couple of feet, and after tinkering for a while, had it running again.

He hopped in and turned the high beams on, then continued down the tunnel, this time at a slow and careful pace. The further he went without any evidence of the usual volcanic heat and power, the more worried he got. After the series of ground tremors from the day before, he had only come down here to check that the Guardian of Metal didn't get hit in the head by a falling rock or something, but obviously things were much more serious than that.


	2. Into the Void

Finally, after nearly an hour, the walls around him opened up. Suddenly Eddie and his car were nothing more than a blip in a sea of shadow. A single lonely firefly. Fearful of going over the edge of the narrow path, Eddie parked the Deuce and got out, leaving only the headlights on.

Once he was far enough away from the glow of his car, he noticed that the place wasn't pitch black. There was a faint red glow coming from the deep floor of the chamber, but it wasn't enough to see by so he had to pull out his lighter once more.

He walked some ways and had no idea how far from the end of the path he was. He hoped that the Guardian would show up soon to tell him what the Hell was going on. Usually the strange being would pop out of the magma almost as soon as he got there, but then again, it looked like the magma was either gone or rapidly cooling. Maybe the Guardian was trapped down there...

With that thought, he started calling out.

"Guardian! Hey, Guardian of Metal!" He gave a series of short whistles. "Guardian!"

"I'm not a fucking dog!" That echoed from some distance up ahead.

Eddie smirked. There was no doubt who _that_ vulgar voice belonged to. Feeling a little better, he picked up his pace, and soon he spotted a light up ahead; luminous red lines that formed the shape of a high cross floating in midair. However he knew better.

As he got closer, the weak glow of his lighter fell across a tall form wearing a black cloak to which the cross was adorned.

The Guardian of Metal didn't move as Eddie came up behind him. His arms hung at his sides and he stared blankly at the great empty darkness of the cavern. Eddie moved to his side and looked into his face, but still he failed to react. His expression was dour... more so than Eddie ever thought him capable of.

"So..." Eddie said, "Who turned out the lights?"

"I did."

"Oh! Uh... cool." He was seriously put off by the Guardian's withdrawn demeanor. Usually when he came down here, he couldn't get the man to shut up. This strange attitude, along with the great big nothing surrounding them left him feeling like he was being suffocated... drowning. "Then could you maybe... turn them back on?"

The Guardian sighed and lowered his head, his shoulders slumping under an invisible weight. "Don't you think I would if I fucking could?" he asked bitterly. "There's no power left here. Motor Forge is gone!"

"What!" Eddie's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. Then he blinked and shook his head. He put up his hands in a 'slow down' gesture and said, "Hang on. Wasn't this place like... made by the Gods of Metal? How the hell can it just be gone?"

"It was invaded by...". The Guardian stopped talking abruptly and shivered.

"By..." Eddie prompted.

The Guardian turned towards him so suddenly that he nearly jumped out of his skin. "For fuck sakes, man! Will you shut up with the fucking questions?"

Eddie immediately went on the defensive. "Hey! I only came down here to check on you!" he countered. "If you want me out of here so bad, just tell me what the fuck is going on!"

The Guardian drew himself up, and appeared to actually grow taller... grander as the darkness quickly merged with his black cloak and hair. Only his bared teeth and his round glasses could be seen by the flickering lighter.

Eddie took a step back. In that moment - for the first time since he met this being - he feared for his life. Luckily it didn't last very long.

The effect was gone, and the Guardian deflated, groaned, and nearly staggered forward onto his guest. "Sorry," he grumbled. "I'm just... exhausted. Can't think strait..."

Still not sure about getting close to the mysterious being, and not wanting to upset him again, Eddie stayed where he was, tried to look calm, and said, "Dude, it's cool. You uh... do kinda look like hell."

That caused the Guardian to snort and smirk bitterly. "This _is_ Hell. Think deeper." He sighed again and said, "I suppose you came because you felt the quaking all the way upstairs?" He didn't wait for confirmation. "I'm not surprised. The Golems made a big fucking ruckus before they bit it."

"Golems?"

He gestured out towards the cavern at large. "The giant metalworkers you used to see down here."

"Oh those!" Eddie's chuckle was a confused one. "I thought they were the Titans you mentioned." He half expected to be laughed at for that one.

Instead the Guardian simply waved him off and said, "Nah. They were just automatons left over from the Glory Days. They did a good job of shaking shit up during the invasion, though."

Eddie, happy that he was finally getting answers, said, "So those Golems trashed the place while they were chasing the... 'thingie' out?"

"No." The Guardian almost sounded offended. "Those twats couldn't do a God damned thing. Just stood around flailing and banging; would've been comical really, if all your little lives weren't on the line. No... in the end I had to drive... _them_ back myself."

"You?" The Roadie pointed at him, brow lowering in suspicion. "But I thought you said you weren't a fighter?"

"I'm not!'" he barked in exasperation. "However I _am_ a Guardian. That means if something I'm guarding is in danger, I'll fucking fight. Besides, if I hadn't every protection the Gods placed here at my back I would've lost horribly."

Eddie nodded. "Fair enough," he said. He turned to look out over the emptiness, trying to picture just what the Guardian had gone through. "So these things. I'm guessing you can't talk about them?"

The Guardian smiled. "What tipped you off?" He then grew serious once more. "The Gods forbade their mention under fear of eternal damnation."

Eddie whistled appreciatively. "Must be pretty bad."

"You can't imagine." It was a simple statement, but his haunted tone of voice was enough to send chills up the Roadie's spine.

"Are they coming back?" Eddie asked.

"Yes. Not this way, but definitely yes."

"So what do we do?"

"_You," _the Guardian jabbed a finger into Eddie's chest that he quickly swatted away, "are going to go back upstairs, get ahold of the Gods of Metal, and tell them what happened here."

"But why don't you tell them yourself right now? Aren't you some sort of emissary?"

He shook his head. "I've used up _all _the power in this place, including my own. I can barely fucking stand right now let alone project as far as the Heavens."

"And you don't think the Gods already know what's going on? Wouldn't that make sense seeing as they're... oh I don't know... _Gods!"_

The Guardian clawed his hands in the air in front of Eddie's face in the universal gesture of 'must... resist... crushing... larynx...' as he said, "Shut the fuck up and listen to me!"

Eddie gulped and nodded.

"Good. Now pay attention," said the Guardian. "First you'll need the song to call upon the Gods. Your friend, the Kill Master knows it, so-"

"How do you know about the Kill Master?" Eddie immediately regretted cutting in, but couldn't resist.

He snarled and got in Eddie's face. "I'm the fucking Guardian of Metal, man! I have ways of hearing all the bullshit that goes on up there!"

The Roadie backed away with his hands up in front of him. "Okay. Okay."

With another heavy sigh, the Guardian turned away and went on. "Go to that giant iron cross on the hill due west of Bladehenge. The Gods left it there as a sort of calling card, but they got sick of answering to those Demon wankers eons ago and haven't got back into the habit. Luckily the Kill Master should be able to get their attention (they never could resist a good bass line). Tell them that Motor Forge has fallen to 'The Genocidal Bastards' - say it exactly like that - and that I sent you to them. From there, they should be able to lift the taboo, tell you what you're facing, and what you need to do next... I hope..."

"That's it?" Eddie asked uncertainly.

He frowned and shrugged.

"And where will you be during all this?"

"Me?" The Guardian went still, staring off into the shadows once more and leaving Eddie to shift awkwardly in the impromptu silence. Just when the Roadie thought he wasn't going to answer he said, "I'll be dead."


	3. Beyond the Realms of Death

"You must be off your game today," said Eddie. "You're usually a lot funnier."

"I'm not joking, man. I'm dying."

Eddie didn't gasp or move. He didn't even feel that surprised. All he felt was a numbing sensation and a sick churning in the pit of his stomach. The Guardian of Metal... someone who had helped him, who he considered a friend, was dying? "How?" It was all he could bring himself to ask.

"I battled a fucking army of some of the darkest, most twisted beings anyone could ever conceive," the Guardian shrugged.

"You don't look hurt at all."

The Guardian clutched a hand over his chest with a grimace. "It's not that type of injury. I've only held on this long so I could tell you what you need to do, but now that's done I won't last much longer."

Thinking fast, Eddie grabbed the Guardian by the arm and started dragging him back the way he came. "_Keep_ holding on then. I'll get you to the Kill Master ASAP. There might be something he can do!"

But the Guardian somehow slipped out of the iron grip as though he had turned to air. He stepped back towards oblivion, shaking his head and looking more tired than ever. "Even if he could, I can't leave Motor Forge."

"Why? You said yourself, there's nothing left here."

The Guardian wouldn't meet his eyes. "The Titans bound me to it. I haven't left this fucking place since they ascended."

"The trapped you here?" To say the least, Eddie was startled by this revelation. "Why would the Gods pull such a dick move?"

"They had their reasons," the Guardian answered simply. "Now go. I've bought you some time, but it'll mean nothing if you keep dick-assing around here."

"No." Eddie crossed and stuck out his chin.

"I said go!"

"But we should at least-"

"GET THE FUCK OUT!" The Guardian viciously pointed to the distant headlights of the Deuce, but it was his voice that made Eddie wince. The sheer volume of it was impossible, and the quality was as though he was hooked up to a giant subwoofer. The Roadie didn't just hear it, he _felt _it in his teeth, his chest... possibly even his soul.

Eddie gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. It took a second for him to catch his breath, stand up straight, and gape at the barely conscious being before him. Hollow repetitions of "Out!" were still echoing off the cavern walls, as he finally accepted the facts. The Guardian of Metal was not human, was not weak, and was not going anywhere.

"Okay," said Eddie, defeated. "I'm out." He turned to leave, but paused. "See you in the next life," he said over his shoulder. There was no response.

With a sigh he started forward. He got about ten steps before he heard a heavy *thwump* accompanied by the soft *chink* of metal on stone. He stopped, deliberated, and turned. He was still close enough that he could see a black heap sprawled out on the floor, the cross still shining up from it. He started at it a moment, looked towards the speck that was the Deuce, then back again, and said, "Screw it." There was no way in hell he was going to leave a friend to die alone in the dark without at least _trying_ to do something about it.

He approached cautiously, fearful that either the Guardian would spring up and start cussing him out again, or that he would find nothing but empty robes. He nudged the pile of cloth with his foot and clearly felt the shifting of a heavy mass. Yes! There was a body in there which he knelt beside and turned over.

Though the Guardian didn't stir, his chest still rose and fell. In one smooth and practiced motion, Eddie stood up and slung him over his shoulder, then ran back to his car as fast as he could without risking a fall to his death.

Once he reached the Deuce, he gently lowered the Guardian into the passenger seat and jumped in. A quick u-turn later and he was facing the incline up to the exit, slamming a foot on the gas, gunning it up the hill, and... stopping dead in his tracks.

"What the hell?" He looked around in confusion. At least the Guardian didn't look like he was going to explode or be crushed. The pedal was still to the metal, but all it was getting him was screaming tires and a face full of smoking rubber. Meanwhile a series of glowing red symbols had formed around the mouth of the tunnel that were similar to the ones that used to line it. Eddie kept pumping the gas for several minutes, hoping to break through, when he noticed a slight flickering of the symbols akin to a faulty neon light.

He smirked, backed up a few feet, and went with his fallback for dealing with barriers... he rammed it.

This time the flickering became more pronounced, so he backed up and tried it again.

Finally on the third go the symbols were actually going on and off and the nose of the Deuce slowly moved forward.

"Come on... come on..." He kept his foot down and bit at his lip, nervous from the tension. The red glow grew brighter; then went out for the last time. The car rocketed forward, and Eddie barely managed to slam on the brakes before he hit a wall.

First he checked that the Guardian was still breathing, then he said, "We are so outa here!" and made his way up the tunnel as fast as he could without crashing into anything.

It was slower going than he would have liked, but finally he emerged into daylight.

The contrast was so great that he had to stop and shield his eyes until they adjusted. He stared at his passenger with concern, but after a few moments he was certain the Guardian wasn't going to spontaneously combust or melt or anything. It was actually very surreal seeing him outside in the real world for the first time, like something from from one of Eddies messed up dreams had walked into Bladehenge and asked for a beer. The natural light revealed that his many chains, crosses, rings were made of a rich silver, the bracelets on his wrists gave off a faint red glow, and his skin was deathly pale; a complexion Eddie was willing to bet had nothing to do with the fact that he was dying.

Speaking of which, they really needed to move along.

"Next stop, Kill Master."


	4. Hellraiser

As the Deuce roared up the mountain and into the Kill Master's lair, only a single one of his men remained lounging underneath the huge, spider web stringed Grand Bass, and watching dispassionately as the car came to a stop. The bassist himself was nowhere to be seen.

The lone biker stood up and went over as Eddie got out of his car and asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Down in Bladehenge helping out with the damage," the biker explained. He peered curiously into the car at its unconscious passenger. "Hello... who's this?"

"Just a friend who needs help." Eddie clasped his hands in front of him. "So please, please, please tell me the Kill Master's still here!" he pleaded.

"The boss? Yeah sure. He's out back with his flock. Spiders were too worked up for him to leave."

Eddie heaved a relieved sigh. "Thank God!". He didn't know if the Guardian would have lasted another trip.

Sensing urgency, the biker said, "I'll go get him then."

While he was waiting, Eddie hefted the Guardian out of the car and moved him to the alter in front of the Great Bass. He was checking for signs of life when the Kill Master appeared at the strings in a flurry of spiders.

"Dane says you've brought a casualty?" the older man asked.

"Yeah," Eddie nodded, "I uh... I don't really know what's wrong, but he said he's dying... right before he collapsed."

While Eddie spoke, the Kill Master fixed a fresh cigarette in his mouth and lit it, and as the roadie finished, he took a long drag. "Alright. Step back." He strummed a few notes, but nothing happened except a slight tilt of his head to hear better. Suddenly he laid his hands across the strings, stopping the sound dead. Without taking his eyes from his patient, he said, "Dane, go check on my babies for me will you."

The biker seemed disappointed, but said, "Sure boss," and left none the less.

Once they were alone, the Kill Master leaned back from his instrument and leveled his default serious stare on Eddie. "What is that thing?" he asked.

Eddie spared a glance at the being and said, "_He_ is the Guardian of Metal."

The Kill Master stared over his sunglasses, his eyebrows raised. "Really?" His slow, rough voice was tainted with suspicion. "You sure you want to stick with that?"

"I don't know his name, or if he even has one," shrugged Eddie.

The bassist took another drag of his cigarette. "I suppose you didn't know that he ain't human either?"

"No. I knew that."

"Eddie..." he growled out as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Only you could act like its no big deal to drag in some creature that even I've not heard of... and I've been around mind you."

There was concern in Eddie's eyes, but not for his friend's suspicions. Instead he cut straight to his point. "But you _can_ help him, right?"

A long moment of silence later and the Kill Master said, "I'll give it a shot."

With a gracious smile, Eddie stood back and let him work.

The roadie didn't understand the whole healing end of 'music power' or whatever it was, but he did know what it looked like when it worked. It didn't look like it was working. When the Kill Master was finished he felt none too hopeful. "Well?"

The Kill Master sighed, "I think I bought him some time, but... it's like he's hemorrhaging his soul... You wanna stop something like that, you'll need a miracle."

Much to his surprise, Eddie grinned, a fire igniting in his eyes. "Well then we better go talk to some Gods!" he said in his overly dramatic tone.

"You hit your head or something, Eddie?" the Kill Master asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Yes actually..." he had forgotten about that, "but that's not the point. I've gotta get in touch with the Gods of Metal anyways, so maybe they'll help the Guardian at the same time!"

The Kill Master didn't outwardly react to this strange proclamation, except to toss his smoke to the ground, put it out with his heel, and hook his thumbs into his belt. He liked Eddie. Liked him from the first moment he met him. The young son of Riggnarock shared many traits with his legendary father, such as a strong back, an unshakeable sense of responsibility, and a... _usually _rational mind. Now here he was going around with a strange, soul leaking, whatever the hell that thing was (_honestly_, it looked human, but that's where the similarities ended), and talking about speaking with the Gods as though they were only next door.

To say the least, he was concerned. He kept his cool though... for now. The Kill Master prided himself on his composure, but even that wasn't going to hold up. What the roadie said next was the last thing he was prepared to hear.

Not noticing the look he was getting, Eddie said, "Oh yeah. Do you still know that song to call on the Gods? 'Cause I kinda need you to play it for me."

He stopped talking abruptly because the Kill Master, even with the hat and sunglasses obscuring his face, was clearly flabbergasted. Even his hands, which were now held slightly in front of him, were shaking.

"How..." he started breathlessly. He barely overcame his shock to bare his teeth and say, "How do you know about Hellraiser?"

"Why?" asked Eddie, confused. "It wasn't a secret, was it?"

"_Of course it is!" _His voice was hushed, but it carried a bite. "Otherwisethe Demons'd have come for my head ages ago. I've never told anyone about that song; not even my own men. So how in the name of Ormagoden's bloody _codpiece _did you find out about it?"

Nervously, Eddie pointed at the Guardian and said, "He told me. He said he can hear everything that goes on up here, so that must be how he knew."

The Kill Master placed his hands on the Grand Bass and leaned over the edge of it to get a better look at the subject in question. He was beginning to get himself back under control; beginning to figure out if not what was going on, then at least what kind of direction it was going to take. "This is big, isn't it?" he asked Eddie.

"Yeah," the roadie confirmed. "And it doesn't sound like we have much time so-"

"The song doesn't work," said the Kill Master. "Even when I played it with a full band it didn't work."

There was Eddie's confidant smile again. "It will, but only if you play it in the right spot."

Of course. He should have known. "And I'm guessing you know where it is?"

Eddie nodded. "Go get your porta-bass and your Thunderhog, and come with me. I'll explain everything on the way."


	5. Heaven and Hell

**Harsh Language warning. Seriously... it's bad.**

**Also, sorry about the long delay. This chapter was fun to write, but man was it a challenge. At least it's a long one...**

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The two men wisely chose to put the Guardian of Metal in the back of the Kill Master's Thunderhog, leaving Eddie free to drive like a maniac and 'accidentally' run down innocent wildlife. At one point, a Tollusk decided to take a swipe at the bike, but it was quickly deterred by one of the Deuce's missiles. Otherwise the ride was short and uneventful.

"Don't you think it's odd that the song to contact Heaven is called _Hell_raiser?" Eddie was leaning with an arm draped over the head of the landmark viewer as he watched the Kill Master meticulously tune his guitar.

Not looking up from the job at hand, the Kill Master said, "Can't say I do, seeing as the Heaven the Gods are in is a realm of fire and brimstone."

"Seriously?" Eddie was kind of impressed. "Then what does the actual Hell look like?"

"They say that deep underground there's a pit of molten rock, presided over by metal giants and a half-mad demonic spirit." He said this simply, like he was talking about the weather.

Eddie's eyes were shifting around in a conspicuous attempt to appear inconspicuous. "Uh... sounds badass."

Luckily the Kill Master was too busy to notice. "Course it's a load of bullshit. It was started by some headbanger who got lost in the old tunnels and went 'round the bend."

"Huh, poor guy." Eddie gave up on watching the older man and instead stared up at the huge monolith they were currently shadowed by. "You know, I always thought this place was special," he said more to himself than his companion.

"That why you come here with your bird?" The Kill Master smirked when the young man's face started to turn red. "Don't act like everyone doesn't know what you and Ophilia do out here," he said with a chuckle. Before Eddie could respond, he straightened up and rolled his shoulders. "That should about do it. We need an amp? Or do I just play?"

"He didn't say," answered Eddie. "Try it without, and if nothing happens we'll hook you up to the hog."

With a nod, and a quick adjustment of his hat, the Kill Master launched into his solo.

Eddie bobbed his head as he listened. His friend truly was a master, and he swore he could almost hear the rest of the band behind every note. The Kill Master was a sight to behold as well. Usually when he played he was calm and methodical, operating at a level of concentration that even the heat of battle couldn't break. Now though, he was completely rocking out, his teeth bared as he threw his heart and soul and everything else he had into the power of the music. It was towards the end, when sweat rolled down his face from the effort that Eddie realized how important this song was to him.

He finished in a flurry of light effects and stood panting, his hands dropping from his instrument to hang at his side.

Eddie looked around and up at the sky, but... nothing. "I guess we need to try it with an amp," he said.

"Alright," said the Kill Master as Eddie went to his bike and started to pull out cords to hook his bass up to his speakers. "I only got one more in me, though. That song takes a lot outa... you..." He trailed off as a flake of red hot ash floated in front of his face. When he looked up, he froze, his mouth hanging open.

Eddie, who was crouched down with his back turned, was oblivious. "Hey, I just thought of something," he said as continued tinkering. "If this big cross is some sort of conduit, and Ophelia and I... you know... did do stuff under it, does that mean the Gods could've been watching the whole time?"

"Eddie..."

"Yeah?" He wiped at a bit of ash that landed on his shoulder, then paused as he finally noticed it was raining ash. Now that thought about it, there was an eerie red cast over everything as well. He turned around to see that the Kill Master was staring at the sky and looked up himself. "Holy shit!"

The entire sky was opened up like a grand window, and within it stood a man of epic proportions, his arms crossed and a grim frown upon his face. His head was easily as big as one of the Mt. Rockmore effigies, and he was brawny enough that he could probably have lifted the iron cross they stood in the shadow of and carried it under one arm. Shoulder length, inky hair blew out from beneath his horned helmet and a long leather jacket billowed about him along with the wild flames that filled his realm. On his face was a well trimmed goatee and a pair of oval framed sunglasses that reflected an etherial white light, and around his neck he wore a single cross on a chain.

He was without a doubt the most metal thing that Eddie had ever seen... a Titan... a God of Metal.

The monolithic being leveled his gaze on the Kill Master and said, "That was some solid playing," in a voice that echoed throughout the earth and sky at the threshold of what would be painful to the men far below.

The Kill Master, unsure of how to respond the that, said the only thing he could get out, "...thanks."

"Now, what the fuck do you want?"

"Uh... not me.". The Kill Master pointed behind himself at Eddie. "It's him that wanted you." He had to give the roadie a nudge to snap him out of his fanboyish stupor.

"What? Oh yeah! Hi!" Eddie was drawing a blank as to what he was supposed to say. "I... uh..."

It didn't help that the God looked right pissed off. "Out with it you little cocksucker," he boomed calmly. "And it better not be another prayer for more fucking beer trees or I swear to... _myself_ that I will smite your asses from here to Valhalla."

Before Eddie even opened his mouth, another Godly voice broke in. "Stop fucking with the mortals you almighty ass-hat." The first God was shoved aside by a second, taller, much skinnier deity who took one look at the now thoroughly confused men and said, "Awe, they're so fucking cute!"

This one was wearing tight ripped jeans and a sleeveless denim jacket over a black T-shirt that had 'Metal God' written on it in letters made to look like blood soaked blades. His face was obscured by the cascade of brown curls flowing from under his helmet, but his mouth was still visible and smiling. He was every bit as imposing as his counterpart, but at least he seemed friendlier.

The first God shouldered the other over so that both of them were looming through the sky... portal... thingie. "Lazy wankers is what they are."

"Ah, don't mind him," the second God said to the men. "He turns into a dickhead when he's on prayer duty. Fucking hates it he does."

"And I don't know how the fuck you don't! All that's happened is this cocksucker starting that pussy revolution we saw coming a millennia ago! This job is boring shit man."

"Fuck off." the second God said with a dismissive wave. He turned his attention back to Eddie. "So! What can we do for ya?"

"Uh..." The humble roadie really had no idea how you were supposed to talk to a God, so he threw up the sign of the horns with both hands and said, "Oh mighty and awesome Gods, I was sent to you by your servant, the Guardian of Metal, with an important message. Actually you should probably help him first if you can." He pointed to the Guardian who was still lying unconscious in the Thunderhog.

The second God leaned forward, and right put of the portal, to get a closer look. "Well Fuck me pink and call me Sherry! It's the Shit Disturber!" He straightened up and looked to his partner. "How the Fuck did he get out?"

The First God said, "Give me a minute," as he moved out of view. He was back a few seconds later yelling, "You destroyed my barrier? You _freed _Ozzrael?"

"Well I couldn't just leave him there to die!" Eddie defended, then after a moment he added "...wait. Ozzrael?"

The God ignored that last part and said, "He can't die you fucking moron."

"He said he's dying!" Eddie pointed to the Guardian in question.

The second God said, "He _does_ look like shit."

But the first ignored him as well. "Then he was fucking with you. I suppose he told you to help him destroy the shit out of Motor Forge as well, hmm?"

"No. He did that on his own," answered Eddie. "He said he had to in order to fight off the whatchamacallits... the uh... the genocidal bastards. That was the message. He said you have to lift the funky curse on them so you can tell me what the fuck they are."

Both of the Gods were speechless, and the second one even went a few shades paler. He looked to his partner and swallowed thickly. "Could it be? After all this time..."

"It would explain a few things, like why I didn't fucking notice a thing. We've never been able to see those bastards properly.". He then addressed Eddie. "And you say this fucker," he jabbed a finger towards the Guardian, "actually fought them?"

"Yeah," Eddie nodded, "and he used up all of his own power to do it, which is why he's dying and stuff now." He then went on to explain everything that had happened since the day before, stressing the fact that the Guardian had wanted to be left behind in Motor Forge and that it was Eddie's idea to break him out.

When he was done, the second God ran a hand through his hair and said, "That crazy son of a bitch would've had to fight the seal. No wonder it damn near killed him." He looked to his partner with a wary smile. "Why don't we cut him a break? I think he's fucking earned it."

The first God was still a moment, a hand stroking his chin as he thought. Finally he said, "You take care of it. You're better at this healing shit than I am... and remove the seal as well."

The second God had pulled a red, double-necked guitar out of nowhere when he did a double-take. "Seriously?" When the other nodded he grinned, showing off all of his godly, white teeth. His instrument already in perfect tune, he launched into a solo crafted from powerful chords and monumental riffs that fell in a heavier tone than the thickest bass strings in the world could produce. As he picked up momentum the men on the ground felt a thrill up their spines as a tingling spread thick through their extremities like hard liquor. The Guardian was soon surrounded by a Red aura that whirled like a wildfire.

In the same motion as the striking of the final note the God threw his hand into the air, index finger and pinkie out in the sign of the horns. The whole display was so epic... so metal, that Eddie had to suppress the urge to scream like an overwhelmed groupie.

The glow around the Guardian faded, including the one that had emanated from his wrist bangles. Eddie held his breath, expecting the being to wake up and start cursing, but nothing happened. The Guardian didn't stir.

"Uh... did it work?" asked Eddie.

The second God put away his guitar and said, "Of course it worked. Unfortunately I can't do shit about all the life stuff he lost, so expect him to be out for a few days." He asked the other God, "So what the fuck do we do with him now?"

The first God pointed at Eddie and said, "You, Son of Three, you play guitar?"

"What's a-"

The God cut him off. "Shut the fuck up and memorize that solo!"

"What so...lo..." he trailed off as he realized that the iron cross was now adorned with fiery music notes that weren't there before, and that instantly burned themselves into his memory the same way the other solos did.

"This being you know as the Guardian of Metal was once a very dangerous motherfucker, and in the time before they inherited this world, our ancestors, the Titans, figured out the only way to deal with him was to capture his ass."

"Stop talking shit!" the second God butted in. "It's Ozzrael's story to tell, man."

With a sigh, he went on. "They did this by way of a mark that sealed his power and bent it to their will. Now the mark will never fade, but my friend here has just removed the seal from it. He's free as a Goddamned bird, and you get the responsibility of stopping him should he ever turn into the raging dick head he once was. Playing that song in his vicinity will reactivate the seal and bind him in place."

"I don't know if I like having that kind of power over someone," Eddie confessed.

The second God said, "You will if he fucking turns on ya, but I don't really think that'll happen."

"The bastards that attacked Motorforge are known as the Black Host," the first God went on. "I've lifted the taboo on them, so Ozzrael here can give you the rundown when he wakes up."

Eddie was a little alarmed by this. "But aren't _you_ gonna explain them to me? What if they attack before he wakes up?"

"They won't be interested in you yet," answered the second God. "Well... they might be interested in _you_, but humans in general should be safe for awhile."

The first God said, "And we've already explained too much... done too much. It's not our way." He reached out and grabbed an edge of the sky in each hand, pulling them closed like a curtain. When the portal was almost closed, he paused. "Tell Ozzrael he can keep his job if he likes, and if he doesn't want to help you, tell the fucker it's conditional to his freedom."

"Hey, I don't wanna twist his arm or anything."

"You might have to if you want to survive this. You won't fucking make it without him." With that, the God closed the sky.

As it shut, the second God's voice floated through. "Oh! And say hi to that hot bird of yours!"

The last bits of grey ash fell to Earth, leaving Eddie feeling like he did when he stepped out into an empty parking lot after an awesome concert. He heaved a great, contented sigh.

The Kill Master broke the moment by saying, "Well... now my life is complete." He went to his Thunderhog and started packing up his bass.

"If I knew Heaven was like that, I would have tried harder to get in!" Eddie was still staring wistfully at the clouds.

"Get in? What nonsense are you barking now?"

Eddie turned to the Kill Master, who was now astride his gigantic bike. "You know. Do good stuff, and when you die, you get into Heaven. That's how it works, right?"

The Kill Master shook his head. "Never heard that before. The only ones in Heaven are the Gods. Anything else and their souls'd burn away."

"Really? Then what happens after you die?"

"You get buried if your lucky," the Kill Master shrugged. "You get eaten by wild animals if you're not."

"Harsh," said Eddie. He climbed into the Deuce and started it up, ancient music suddenly flooding the hill from its Mouth of Metal. Eddie turned it off. "I guess we better head back to Bladehenge."

"We taking him?" the Kill Master asked. He jerked his head towards the Guardian.

"You heard the Gods. And it's not like he has anywhere else to go." The roadie turned his music back on and slammed his car into gear.

The Kill Master watched the younger man roar off. "Lita's not going to like this," he said. He revved his own engine and took off after Eddie.

* * *

Hidden amongst some old ruins, a trio of Tick Choppers hid and watched the men drive away.

"What did you call me here for?" asked a grizzled old Warfather as he walked up to them.

The three quickly shushed him and one of them said, "It's the Axe Man and the Kill Master. They were talkin' to the Gods!"

If the Warfather was surprised by this, his expressionless, skull of a face didn't show it. "Did you catch what was being said?"

Another one of the Ticks said, "Too far. And the Axe Man would've killed us if we got closer."

"Does this mean the Humans've gained favor?"

"Have the Gods forsaken us?"

The old demon put his hands up to calm them. "I do not know," he said, "but rest assured I will tell the emperor of this... incident. You three continue watching this location, and if anyone else approaches you are to send word immediately." With that he turned on his heel and vanished.

* * *

**Sorry I had to give the Guardian of Metal a name. I just couldn't keep calling him the Guardian so I went with the best fit I could think of. Please don't hate me... :(**


	6. Trust

It was nearly dark by the time Eddie and the Kill Master rolled into Bladehenge.

The tiny settlement had grown quite a bit in the year-and-a-half since its people one the war. Leading up to it, fences crossed here and there to hold in half-domesticated Raptor Elk and Ground Urchins, and a few enterprising townsfolk even filled one particular patch of field with various edible plants. The many tents, huts, and even stone structures now spilled out beyond the walls of the town, though a number of these were fallen in from the tremors the day before. Droves of men (some Ironheade soldiers, and some average people) were picking up the pieces of houses and trying to fit them back together, and Eddie had to carefully maneuver around them until he reached main entrance.

What was once a simple skull-like aperture was now an elaborate gate, still skull-like, and complete with a wench system, floodlights, and scaffolding watchtowers. It even looked like it could be quickly converted into a stage. The wall itself was upgraded to include dangerous spikes and ramparts patrolled by Razor Girl snipers.

The gate was currently open and the guards graciously got out of his way as Eddie passed through. By the time he parked and got out of his vehicle, the Kill Master had come up behind him and parked as well.

Eddie couldn't figure out why everyone was giving him funny looks until he suddenly got beamed up side the head by the shaft of a halberd.

"Where have you _been_?" Lita snarled. The young, blond queen was clutching her weapon with both hands and looking very strung out.

"Ow!" Eddie rubbed at the lump that was forming as he said, "Lita! I did not need another head injury today."

"You injured your head?" Eddie's dark haired girlfriend, Ophelia, appeared at his side looking concerned.

Eddie waved her off. "I was exaggerating. I'm fine."

She still looked concerned, but said nothing more of it. Instead she said, "Lita's right though. You said you'd only be gone a couple of hours, not a whole day."

"I know, and I'm sorry," he said honestly to both of them.

Lita relaxed a little. "We were about to send out a search party."

"Yeah well... things kinda got a little insane on me."

"When don't they?" Ophelia grumbled affectionately. That's when she noticed that the Kill Master was directing a couple of his men to lift a body from the back of his Thunderhog. The moment her eyes fell on the dark being, a horrible, cloying shudder raced up her spine and she wrapped her arms around herself as though that could ward off her unease.

Eddie noticed this and said, "Hey, you okay? You look pale all of a sudden."

"I don't know. I just... who is that?"

"Yeah Eddie, who is that?" Lita was less 'freaked out' and more 'pissed that you brought a stranger into my town without asking me first.'

"Um... the Guardian of Metal?" he tried. The two women looked about as ready to believe him as the Kill Master had earlier, so he said, "He's a friend I met on the road. I think his name's Ozzrael."

"You _think_?" Lita was not pleased by that one.

"Look, we've got bigger Tollusks to fry," said Eddie. A number of people had crowded around, sensing that something interesting was going on. For a moment Eddie thought he should keep this stuff between himself and the other leaders of the Ironheade, but he decided if his peoples' lives were going to be in danger, they deserved to know about it.

"I found out that the earth quake yesterday was caused by some huge battle underground," he said, "and from the sound of things, if it wasn't for that guy there, we'd be waist deep in some unknown horror right now.

Ophelia asked, "What unknown horror?"

"I don't know," Eddie answered. "They're coming back though, and the Gods said we'd need his help. So..."

"The Gods?" Lita looked him up and down, trying to decide if her conk to his head really did cause him brain damage, and if a second one might reverse it.

Luckily the Kill Master was just on time to rescue him. "I thought he was crazy too, till I saw 'em."

"The Gods of Metal?" Sure, she could brush off these claims from the strange, time-traveling Eddie. But both he and the Kill Master?

"Whatever this Black Host is, the Gods seemed to be shitting their pants over them," the Kill Master explained. "'Course they were just as upset about him," he nodded towards his men who now standing by with the Guardian propped between them, "but they also tasked him with explaining things. So perhaps we should keep him around, least till he tells us what the hell is going on?"

Between his cocked eyebrow and expectantly crossed arms, and Eddie's pleading eyes all Lita could do was roll her eyes and say, "Fine!"

Ophelia opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it and instead settled for stepping closer to Eddie and his warmth.

"Good." The Kill Master grinned triumphantly. "Where do you want him?"

Lita thought about it. "Place him in one of the empty tents along the western part of the wall." As the Kill Master and his men walked away she called after them. "But clean him up first. We don't need that smell fouling the spare equipment."

The Kill Master waved as he continued to walk away to acknowledge that he heard her.

With the Guardian gone and the event over, the crowd dispersed and Ophelia almost instantly relaxed. She and Lita both crossed their arms and scowled at Eddie.

Feeling very ganged up on he said, "So... powwow?"

That night Eddie explained everything to the girls, including (finally) Motorforge and how much he had come to rely on the Guardian of Metal during the war. To say the least, the others were surprised to hear that their champion hadn't gotten all of his power and technology out of nowhere.

Jack, a goggle wearing Headbanger that Eddie had grown close to, was sitting at the next fire over, and sheepishly he turned to them and asked, "Does this mean that Mike wasn't crazy after all?"

Eddie shrugged and took a bite of the Urchin leg he was snacking on.

"What I don't understand," Ophelia piped up, "is why you never told us of this." She sat with her shoulders slumped, looking hurt.

Eddie, knowing that trust was still a sore spot for her, quickly said, "I wanted to, but I couldn't. Every time I tried to bring it up I got this feeling like the world would end if I did... except for now."

Lita, who was strangely quieter than usual that evening leveled a serious gaze on him and said, "Do you trust him, even though he probably had no choice but to help you?"

Eddie zoned out, thinking hard about it. Finally he met her gaze with a confident smile and nodded.

Lita closed her eyes and sighed, but moved on. "Now about this Black Host?"

"I have a hunch about that." Eddie sat forward, looking excited and worried at the same time. "You know those Artifacts of Legend I showed you?"

They nodded. A number of people had taken up the old tradition of traveling to the different Artifacts to learn the history of their world. Of course he had neglected to show anyone but Ophelia the last few as it they revealed his darkest secret.

"Well you know the First Ones? What if the Black Host is a bunch of them who survived by living underground and now they want to retake the surface?"

"Then the Underground might know something," said Ophelia.

"Say what?"

Lita said, "They're a faction of beast-like demons who live in the ancient tunnel system. No one's seen one in years."

"They don't like the Coil," Ophelia added, "but they don't like us much either, and they don't give up their secrets easily."

The next morning a messenger was sent east to gather the Fire Barons and Zuala and return them to Bladehenge. Everyone was busy with preparations for the battle, or ambush, or... really they had no idea _what_ was going to happen.

* * *

Deep beneath the Temple of Ormagoden was a city no human knew of, for none who entered it ever left alive. It was more like a humongous pit, walls lined with walkways and railings, and a tower of twisted, festering flesh in the center.

It was the Cloister. The home of the Tainted Coil, and their greatest feat of engineering.

Chains connected from the ceiling and walls of the place to the horrid tower, but they were rusted and many had broken off. The walls themselves were meant to be flowing with blood and crawling with demons, but the blood had long since dried and most of the demons had died in the war. In some places the ocean even began to seep through, and many feared that it would soon reclaim the place forever.

Those who remained lived in the upper levels nearest the temple, though very top of the Tower of Flesh was still used as the throne room for the Emperor.

It was into this decadent chamber of torturous horrors that the old Warfather strode with confidence. He kneeled before the throne (which was actually more of an alter made of bones and skin) and said, "My lord."

A tall, spindly demon moved from behind the morbid structure. He wore a red, kilt-like garment that draped from his hips, and a tight, black bondage harness on his chest that appeared to double as a means of keeping the large seam there from splitting open. His lower body was covered in black fur with a long, triangular tipped tail, and equally dark hooves. From the waist up, his skin was white and bare. His hands were three fingered, each tipped with cruel black claws. One side of his head was bald, with a small hole in the side to serve as an ear, the other side was draped with grimy black hair, and two curved horns protruded from his forehead, one shorter than the other.

His black lips parted; a mouth that stretched far too wide and was full to the brim with shark-like teeth. "Rise Churl," he said in a surprisingly melodious voice.

The Warfather obliged, meeting his Emperor's mismatched eyes. The right one was deep red, while the left was completely white with only a pinprick of a pupil in the center. "My lord," he repeated, "I have just received word that a second contingent was destroyed last night."

The Emperor sighed, apparently not surprised by this news. "Were there any survivors this time?"

"Yes. A Battle Nun managed to escape and make her way back."

"Bring her before me." He turned away from his servant and clasped his hands behind his back. However, even without seeing him, he could tell the Warfather wasn't moving. "Churl?"

"Forgive me my lord," the older demon said with a flourish of the hand, "but it would do no good to her or yourself. She appears to have... lost her faculties, unfortunately."

He nodded in understanding. "Could she at least say what did this?"

"She described some sort of flying creature that attacked in the darkness, made horrible noises, and resembled a deformed Tear Drinker." He paused, then said, "I cannot help but fear that the humans may be behind this. Their conference with the Gods, and the messenger that was spotted leaving Bladehenge the other day coincides suspiciously with these attacks. Perhaps they have found a way to gain control over the Tear Drinkers?"

The Emperor stared thoughtfully up at the alter. "Do not assume too much. That was my predecessor's downfall." Making up his mind, he faced his servant. "Ironheade has numerous soldiers patrolling the land in isolated groups. Go find one and bring me back a human... alive."

Before the Warfather left the room, he went on. "Oh, and Churl? There are too few of us left to be taking unnecessary risks, so... be careful." Somehow there was genuine concern on his terrifying face.

The Warfather bowed graciously and said, "Thank you, my lord."

* * *

A combination of gnawing unknown and a late summer heat wave was causing the days to crawl at a Rock Crusher's pace and had the humans jumping at shadows.

Eddie was one of the only people not on edge. He remained confident that once the Guardian awoke, everything would be sorted out. However by the third morning, when it seemed that the being might not wake up after all, even he was starting to feel the twinge of anxiety.

It was almost noon of that day when something finally happened.

Up in one of the watchtowers a Razor Girl stretched out on her stomach in what little shade its canopy provided as she tried to keep watch and not pass out. She was about ready to give up and snooze for awhile, when something shot up from the horizon out of the corner of her eye. Warily she stood up and spied it through her goggles.

A flair. A distinctive Ironheade flair.

It could mean only one thing.

A patrol was under attack.


	7. Drink the Blood of the Priest

"Do you think it's them?" Ophelia asked as she climbed into the Deuce.

"I hope so," answered Eddie. "This whole not knowing shit is killing me." He saw that Lita, who was standing nearby, wasn't making to get in. "Hey, you coming?"

She shook her head. "This could be a ploy to lure you away from the town, and if something attacks while you're gone..."

Eddie smirked. "Gotcha. Good job thinking like a queen by the way."

With that they were gone, gunning into the thick of danger while Lita was left to watch them until they were out of sight. She sighed, and nearly jumped out of her skin when Mangus appeared at her side.

"Guess you wanted to go off and fight too, huh?" said the engineer.

"Yes... fight..."

"Ah don't worry," he went on without realizing he was on the wrong track. "There hasn't been much action lately, but it looks like there will be now." He gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder, then headed back into town.

Lita gave herself a shake and figured she better find something to do before she dwelled herself into insanity. Quickly she decided she would check on the Kill Master and their 'guest.'

When she entered the tent she nearly reeled. The flaps were all closed, so that the interior was dark and swelteringly hot, and the air was thick with smoke courtesy of the Kill Master. The man was slumped in the only chair, his legs stretched out before him and his head tilted back, his mouth hanging open as he snored softly. At his insistence either he, Eddie, or one of his men kept watch over the Guardian at all times, and seeing as he was the one taking most of the watches, it was no wonder that he fell asleep.

Lita gently placed a hand on his knee. He sat up with a snort, and she could see his bleary eyes blinking at her as his sunglasses had slid down his nose.

"Hey," she said. "Why don't you go lay down for awhile? I'm sure nothing terrible will happen if you get some rest."

He took his glasses off so he could wipe the sleep from his eyes before replacing them. "Can't take that chance," he growled.

She smiled and shook her head. "Weren't you the one who strong armed me into letting him stay?"

"We need him," he paused to yawn, "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Eddie trusts him."

With his brain operating at half capacity, it took awhile for him to decipher what she said and come up with an appropriate response. He said, "Eddie takes things at face value, but under that nice little human-looking shell there is... I don't know... a heartbeat, but no _heart_, no blood; a soul that bleeds instead... and something else... dark and empty...

"You're rambling, and you can barely keep your head up," said Lita. She crossed her arms and got a bit more forceful. "Go lie down. I'll keep watch if it's that important to you."

If he was a little more alert, the Kill Master might have realized that leaving the leader of the free humans alone with the thing he feared might wake up and kill them all was a bad idea. Instead he muttered, "S'pose an hour or so couldn't hurt."

Lita helped him get up and supported him as he stumbled from the tent. Once out in the sunlight she saw that he was flushed and - fearing heat-stroke - she called one of his men over to lead him away and look after him.

The first thing she did when she returned to the tent was open all the flaps to let in the faint breeze and allow the smell of cigarette smoke to dissipate. She figured Kill Master must have fallen asleep earlier that morning before the heat had really started to become unbearable, and then failed to wake up when things got unbearable.

With that thought, she checked on the tent's new owner.

The Guardian of Metal was sprawled on his back on the wooden, fur covered single bed, one leg dangling off the edge of it. He had been stripped of his glasses, as well as his chains and rings and things. The objects were dumped haphazardly onto the tiny table next to the bed. He was also stripped of his robe, leaving him in a light grey tank-top and a pair of black and white polka-dot boxers.

Strangely enough, he was pale as ever, and there was not a drop of sweat on his body. He could have been a corpse if not for the slow rise and fall of his chest. Other than that he looked fine, and after Eddie described the place he came from, she wasn't really surprised that he was unaffected by the heat.

Knowing that the Kill Master was going to need a lot longer that an hour, Lita sat down and made herself comfortable in his vacated chair.

* * *

Between the Deuce's already impressive speed, the advanced Nitro boosters installed, and Eddie's numerous death-defying 'shortcuts,' it took he and his girlfriend no time at all to reach the source of the flair.

The car screeched to a halt on a ridge so that the couple could look down on the unusual scene below. It was a small scale battle in the middle of the road. A single Warfather stood amongst a contingent of demons that had the patrol pressed back amongst the bones of some massive, ancient beast, while the remains of a Headsplitter continued to smoke nearby. Behind them a Thunderhog that got separated from the group was driving around in circles with a bunch of Soul Kissers in pursuit. Every time they got close, the little demons tried to drag the rider off his bike.

"God damnit!" said Eddie with a disappointed pout. "It's just the Tainted Coil."

Ophelia leaned across him to get a better look. "But they haven't attacked in months. And what are they doing?" She pointed at the strange game of tag their medic was caught in.

"Hold on." Eddie gunned it, careening them over the ridge. A Punishing Party looked up when they heard Ophelia's whoop of delight just in time for the Dominatrixes to jump out of the way as the Deuce landed on their Slave. The roadie did a 180 on time to plow down the angry demon females before they could jump on the car.

He hit the brakes inches before the only Skull Raker planted his flail/head in the hood, and it ended up deep in the ground in front of the car instead.

While the Skull Raker strained to retrieve his head, Eddie got out of the Deuce. He put his hands out for Ophelia to jump on them, and launched her towards the demon. As she left Eddie's grip, she gave a twist with her ankle so that she spun through the air, and when she hit her unfortunate target, she cut into him like a drill.

The patrol, who were watching this all go down in a matter of seconds cheered.

The demons, on the other hand, made to bum-rush the couple until the Warfather put up his hand, halting them. Eddie and the old creature zeroed in on each other, the man with a smirk, and the demon's face somehow becoming forlorn.

Eddie leaned towards Ophelia. "Go help the biker," he said. "I've got this guy."

The dark haired woman nodded and ran over to the Soul Kissers, clashing her blades against their scissor-like faces.

Eddie pulled out his trusty axe and ran at the crowd of demons, cutting through them in an effort to get to the Warfather. He knew from experience that if he didn't kill the hierarchy class demon first, he'd be facing an endless swarm of lesser ones, but when he reached the target he got a nasty surprise.

Just as he swung his weapon at the tall, skull headed figure, the demon summoned a thick metal stave that bore similar markings to his axe, and used it to expertly block the blow.

"So you are the infamous Axe Man," he said as he tucked his unholy tome into his robe with the hand he wasn't using to hold Eddie off. Once it was safe, he aimed a kick that connected squarely with the roadie's chest, knocking the human backwards.

The demons would have swarmed him, but the patrol saw this in time and all of the uninjured members broke from cover to join the fray.

Eddie stood up and rubbed at his new bruise. "Hey! You guys aren't supposed to fight back!"

The Warfather clicked his teeth together and said, "Forgive me. I am rather more experienced than my counterparts in the ways of combat." He pointed his stave at Eddie in a threatening gesture. "Now, what have you done with Succoria?"

"Uh... what?" It came out so unexpectedly that it left Eddie confused.

With a growl, the demon dived at him and started raining blows on the startled human. Eddie managed to block them and tried to put some distance between himself and his opponent so he could fry the demon with his guitar, but the Warfather wasn't giving him an inch.

"That is her axe you wield," said the demon. "Her shirt you wear like a trophy. You _stole_ these things from her."

"What? No!" Eddie started to panic as he saw the conclusions his opponent must be jumping to.

"Do _not_ play games with me, you vile little monstrosity." The demon's voice was as calm and stately as ever, but it now carried a dangerous edge.

One of the Razor Girls who was in a gunfight with some Dominatrixes heard that and yelled, "At least he doesn't have _exhaust pipes_ growing out of his head!"

She was doomed to be ignored though.

The demon managed to pin Eddie against the rock ledge that lined one side of the road, and as he held the human there he leaned in and said, "Her blood... I _smell _her blood on you... Tell me where she is and perhaps I will make your death a swift one."

"I hate to break it to ya," Eddie mustered his strength, pushed with his axe in one hand and got enough leeway to punch the demon in the face with the other, "but Succoria's dead, man. She's been dead for ages." He rolled out of reach, switched his axe for his guitar, and hit just the right note to cause a roman candle to flair out of the ground at the Warfather's feet.

The old demon quickly side stepped the attack. "I see," he said. He regarded Eddie with a cool hatred as he pulled his book from his robe.

Eddie started firing off lightening as soon as he saw the tome, but they were all strangely absorbed into its unholy pages.

"You will die, human. If not by my hand, than by that of my master." The Warfather began to read strange words aloud.

Eddie, fearing the worst, switched his instrument for his axe and rushed at the demon, but it was too late. The Warfather and his entire contingent - even the bodies of those slain - were gone.

Ophelia was a little battered, but no worse for wear. She was the first to approach her boyfriend, grabbing him by the vest and yanking him down to her level so that she could hiss, "You're an _idiot," _in his ear.

He blinked at her in confusion and disappointment. "What did I do?" he whispered back.

She gestured towards his troops, who were standing in a semicircle around them and gaping at Eddie in awe. He was still confused for a second, and then the implications of his words caught up with him. "Oh shit..."

A Bouncer stepped forward and said, "Dude, is it true?"

"Yeah Eddie," that was the Razor Girl who had yelled earlier, "Did you really kill Emperor Succoria?"

Eddie looked to Ophelia, desperate for some out from this situation, but all she could do was shrug. He bit his lip and looked at the eager soldiers. There was no way... he _couldn't_ tell them the truth. If they didn't tun him out for it, Lita surly would, so he said, "Uh... sorta?"

It wasn't really a _lie_ after all.

* * *

Back at Bladehenge, Lita was startled out of her chair by a sudden loud noise. She must have nodded off from bordom, but any doubt about the source of the sound that woke her was rested when a yell of, "Fucking SHIT!" came from the bed.

The Guardian of Metal was awake.


	8. Eyes of a Stranger

The Guardian was still on his back, and now had both arms wrapped around his head, obscuring his face. He whimpered something, but his right arm was covering his mouth so that whatever he said was too muffled for Lita to hear.

"Could you repeat that?" she asked, feeling lost.

He removed his arm from his mouth, but left the other over his eyes. "Kill the fucking light!" His voice carried a twinge of pain and desperation to it.

Lita guessed that he must have a bad a headache, and, having suffered enough hangovers to sympathize, she quickly complied.

After closing all the tent flaps (and causing it to become uncomfortable once more), she turned back to her guest and said, "It's dark now." She took a seat back in her chair and watched to see what he would do.

The Guardian lowered his arms, breathing hard from the exertion of lifting them. Cautiously he opened one eye, then the other. His eyes were dark, wide, and slightly crazed looking, but otherwise perfectly normal. He stared unblinkingly, first at Lita, and then at the other details of the tiny, shabby space they shared as though he could see through them into the world outside.

Lita took that as her cue. "I suppose you'll want to know who I am, and where we are?"

"Lita Halford," he answered immediately. He then closed his eyes and tilted his head as though listening to something faint and far away. "And this is... Bladehenge. Love what you've done with the place, by the way." He reopened his eyes to smirk at her before tiredly resting his head.

She tried to hide her shock. After all, Eddie _did_ tell her about his strange powers, and the Kill Master kept insisting that he was something more than human, so she really couldn't say this was unexpected.

She thought he might have fallen back to sleep, but after a moment of labored breathing, the Guardian swallowed and said, "I forgot how fucking loud it gets up here... Eddie's behind this, right?" He looked at her, and waited for her to nod in confirmation. "Bastard can't follow simple instructions."

Though he didn't seem to say it with any malice, Lita took offense to that. "He saved your life," she clipped, "and he got you free. So-"

"_Free?" _he cut her off with a bitter chuckle. "Darling, just because I'm out of that... _hole, _ does not mean I'm free. The Gods will never..." He trailed off as he noticed the pile of things on the table, specifically the silvery bracelets.

Slowly he inspected his wrists where they used to be, even rubbing one as though it ached. He lay there unmoving for a long time, his eyes wide and glazed, until suddenly he forced himself into a siting position despite the fact that he lacked all energy to do so. "On my back, is something there? A mark maybe?"

She had to lean a little to one side to see it at that angle and the dimness of the room made it hard to make out, but there was something printed on the grey fabric. "There's a cross," she said. It was the same one that was on his robe, downsized to fit the smaller shirt.

"What color are the lines?" he asked urgently.

"White." And she suspected that they may also be reflective.

He let out the breath he was holding and lay back down, covering his face as he muttered, "Holy shit... holy shit... _holy shit..._" over and over. He was breathing too fast and hard; almost hyperventilating.

"Are you alright?" Lita asked.

"I... _shit._ Maybe. I don't know." When he finally removed his hands, his eyes were glassy as though he was close to tears. "Where's my robe?" he asked weakly.

Lita raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of subject, but answered, "It's in the laundry pile."

"Oh... why?"

"Because it smelt like you rolled in a fire-pit that was put out with rotten eggs," she said as she crossed her arms.

He laughed. "It's called 'brimstone,' and I'd _love_ to see you live in a fucking magma chamber for an eon or two and not come out smelling like that." He smiled at her, and his voice was good natured, probably trying to put her at ease... and failing.

She looked him up and down the way a cook might inspect a cut of meat they suspected had gone bad. "An eon?" He must be exaggerating... "How long were you down there?"

With a tired smirk he said, "For longer than humanity has existed." The last of his stamina was beginning to wane, so he closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax.

Lita wasn't done, however. "Than what does that make you, some sort of demon we've never seen before?"

"Do I _look_ like a fucking demon?" He mustered up enough strength to shoot her an offended glare, but quickly gave up. "You can't get much more opposite to a demon then what I am."

"And what is that?" Lita sat forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands.

The Guardian stared vacantly at the ceiling of stretched hide, thinking hard about his answer. Finally he sighed and said, "Fucking tired."

He rolled over to face the wall the wall so that all Lita could see of him was his back.

As she watched his breathing even out, the young leader heaved a sigh of her own.

* * *

"Will you hold still already!" said Ophelia as she tried to patch up the Thunderhog's driver.

"It's just a flesh-wound, damn it!" he countered with all persuasion of a petulant child. "I've gotta tend to the rest of the injured."

Ophelia put her hands on his shoulders and forced him to sit back down in the back of his bike. "No one's about to drop dead except for _you_ if you try to play in this condition."

"I'm fine!"

Of course, he wasn't. There were numerous injuries from the battle amongst the patrol, but few were as bad as the many deep cuts the biker got from his bout with the Soul Kissers. Under his direction Ophelia had managed to stop most of the bleeding. However, more serious problems were going to develop very fast.

Not far away, Eddie was holding an informal debriefing with some of the uninjured soldiers. One of the Headbangers was just finishing his account. "...and it's weird, you know? Like they were more interested in catching Mike over there," he gestured towards the biker, "than fighting the rest of us."

"Yeah I noticed," said Eddie. "They didn't mention anything about that by any chance?" When the troops all either shrugged or shook their heads he muttered, "Of course not. That'd be too convenient."

Making a quick decision he raised his voice over the general chatter of the area. "Alright men... and ladies," the Razor Girls gave him a thumbs up, "Start packing up your shit and get ready to move out in ten. We're going back to Bladehenge. You," he pointed at the lone bouncer of the group. "You're with me."

Ophelia met him by the Deuce as he started to rummage through the trunk. "Eddie, are you planning to have us all walk back?"

"Yep," he answered. "I know I had rope in here somewhere..."

"Eddie," frowned Ophelia, "You know that demons coat their weapons in festering sludge right?"

"Uh-huh." He continued to search for the elusive rope.

She whispered the next part. "If we don't get the injured to a doctor soon, we're going to have to start chopping of limbs, and _our_ medic is officially out of commission."

"Gotcha!" Eddie stood up, triumphantly brandishing the rope. He then looked at his girlfriend and said, "We'd better hurry then."

She nodded. "I thought maybe you could go on ahead. You could get to Bladehenge and get back with more Thunderhog's in a quarter of the time it'll take the rest of us to walk back on foot."

"Great idea, but no can do." He gestured for her and the Bouncer to follow him as he headed to the Thunderhog. "That Warfather was too clever to just give up like this. I'm willing to bet he's watching us right now, waiting to attack the moment I leave."

"Really?" the Bouncer asked nervously.

Eddie nodded and continued, "I'm not about to take that chance. So, we all walk back together."

"Hey! What do ya think you're doing?" protested the biker when Eddie started tying his rope onto the handlebars.

"Relax," countered the roadie. "You can't drive in that condition and anyone else around here would run this thing off the road. That's why 'tiny' here gets to play chariot."

The Bouncer gave a hopeful smile and said, "Chariot? That sounds like fun!"

An hour later he was grumbling, "This is totally _not_ fun!" as he trudged forward, the rope tied around his waist so that he could drag a Thunderhog laden with several people who were too injured to walk. "Why can't you pull this thing with your car, Eddie?"

"Because," said Eddie from the driver's seat of the Deuce, "If the demons attack again, I'll need the Druid Plow to... you know... plow me some druids." He had a passenger of his own - a Headbanger with a broken leg - and the overexcited young man made a face at the Bouncer and his cargo that earned several dirty looks.

It was nightfall by the time they made it back to Bladehenge, but finally they came into sight of the back entrance. As the hot, tired group breathed a collective sigh of relief and picked up their pace, Eddie slowed his car to a halt, killed the engines, and stared up at the night sky. "Do you hear that?"

Ophelia, who was walking next to the car, said, "Hear what?"

"I don't know. It's deep. Kinda sounds like a whale."

His girlfriend gave him a funny look. "Like a scream?"

"No," said Eddie. "The sea mammal."

Eddie's passenger wrinkled up his nose in confusion. "What's a sea mammal?"

"Never mind." Eddie started up the car once more, and headed into town with a renewed sense of urgency.

He got out amidst a scene of fuss and confusion as the wounded were scattered about to be cared for and countless versions of the same story were being relayed to concerned friends. Still, he didn't notice the chaos.

"It's getting louder," Eddie told Ophelia.

Starting to get concerned, she said, "I don't hear anything."

He noticed Mangus excitedly approaching, and before the engineer could even reach them, Eddie said, "Go get Lita, and tell her to meet me in the center of town. I think something's wrong."

As he got closer to the middle of Bladehenge, the sound got louder and a sudden, irrational sense of dread clutched at his heart. In response, his demonic blood began to boil, and with a thrilling rush of power his skin flushed to a deep red and his great, leathery wings unfurled.

"Eddie?" Ophelia cried out in alarm.

But he wasn't paying attention to her. Instead he zeroed in on the large, dark mass that was crouched on the cross-guard of the town's titular giant blade.


	9. The Divine Wings of Tragedy

The Warfather, Churl, entered the throne room and, much to the Emperor's chagrin, immediately dropped to his knees.

The Emperor stared at his servant's bowed head and said, "You failed?"

"I am not worthy of forgiveness, my lord," answered the old demon mournfully. He bowed so deeply that he was almost kissing the floor. "Punish me as you will."

"Oh, get up!" The Emperor rolled his eyes. "You know I hate it when you do that."

Churl complied, albeit slowly with the weight of his remorse. "It is my station."

The younger demon's gaze hardened as it fell upon the late Doviculus' double headed Staff Axe. "After all you've done for me, I should be the one groveling."

The Warfather shuffled uncomfortably and picked at the pages of his tome, the closest he could come to an embarrassed expression. "You are the Emperor now. You must never bow before anyone." When the young demon didn't respond, he cleared his throat, and in an attempt to change the subject, said, "I may have failed to procure a human as requested, but I did come away with some important and, dare I say it, grievous information."

"Oh?" The Emperor turned to him, interest piqued.

"I encountered the infamous 'Axe Man' responsible for defeating Doviculus," he explained. "He wields Succoria's weapon and wears her shirt... and he claims to have slain her himself."

The terrible, mismatched eyes of the Emperor widened. "And you believe him?"

"I do," came Churl's solemn voice. "The Separator was a gift to our ancestors from the Titans themselves. Now that she has returned from the future, the only way Succoria would part with it is in death."

His eyes closed, the Emperor leant with one hand against his throne with a heavy heart and muttered, "I had hoped..." He straitened and his eyes snapped open as he turned abruptly to face the door. "Do you hear that?"

"I do." Churl also turned towards the room's single entrance. He clutched his tome to his chest, hunched his shoulders, and said, "What an awful noise."

"Have you heard its like before?"

"No..." It was faint, and deep, and it grated on every buried instinct the two demons possessed. After pondering the alien impulses that were churning within him (a combination of wanting to destroy the source of the noise and tear at his own flesh), he began to walk towards the door.

The Emperor put out a hand. "Wait." Briskly he grabbed his predecessor's Staff Axe and tested the ornate weapon's weight in his hands. He then led the way out the door onto the hanging walkway beyond.

As soon as they were out in the open air the sound's decibel increased considerably, and was joined by the screams emanating from the upper levels; the mad wails of demons who were not faring so well against its influence. There were no railings in that place, so the Emperor and the Warfather went right to the edge of the walkway and leaned out over the depths of the Cloister. From that deep, ancient pit, the sound echoed.

"There." Churl pointed at a certain point in the dark. Barely visible was a strange black shape, not much bigger than the average demon, possessing great, noiseless wings, and emanating its horrible, resonating music as it circled the base of the Tower of Flesh.

The Emperor nodded. "I see it," he said. "Could that noise be _singing_?"

"Perhaps... but to what effect?" Churl looked around and noticed streams of dust falling from the ceiling of the great cavern. Now curious, he kneeled and placed a hand on the stone walkway.

"What are you doing?" the Emperor asked.

He straightened back up and answered, "The Cloister is shaking..."

"Like a few days ago?" The younger demon's tail twitched nervously. That geological event had already weakened the city's structural integrity. He feared that another one would bring the whole place down on them.

"This is something different," answered Churl. "...And yet..." _There!_ Some other, more terrifying sound hidden beneath the strange singing and panic. It was quiet and deep as well, which is why the old Warfather missed it. It was the shifting grind of stone and the low moan of straining water. "The walls are collapsing."

"What?" As much as the Emperor wanted to deny it, when he looked at the small waterfalls that were already seeping through, he saw that there was much more water flowing then before. "No..."

"There's no earthquake, so it must be that creature's noise causing this."

The Emperor glared at the thing with a new revulsion and anger as he considered this. A black beast that could fly. Though it was impossible to tell from here, he would bet it resembled a deformed human. "It's nightfall..."

"My lord?"

"The enemy that attacks our people does so at night," explained the Emperor. "And now it attacks the Cloister itself."

Churl nodded. "An excellent deduction, my lord. However there are supposed to be many of these attackers. Where are the others?"

"No doubt above ground, waiting to pick us off as we flee."

Churl hung his head as he saw the simple brilliance of this unknown enemy's plan. "Then what can we do?"

The Emperor looked up where small stones were now being dislodged, and then down again at the loathsome form that circled far below. With a resigned sigh, he said, "Evacuate everyone."

"Are you certain?" The old Warfather was hoping against hope that he wasn't.

Alas, the young demon said, "Either we die in battle up there or drown down here. Which would you prefer?"

"...very well." Churl looked up, stealing himself against what was to no doubt be their deaths. He then noticed that the Emperor was unfurling his wings and crouching at the edge of the walkway, preparing to dive off. "My lord?"

"I'm going to buy you some time," said the Emperor, and then he was gone.

He could faintly hear Churl calling him back, but he didn't care. His wings were of leathery flesh as pale as the rest of his skin stretched between thick, strong muscle and bone, and he unfurled them to their full, considerable span. The rush of flight, and the thrill of a real battle had him grinning, his pounding blood driving out any foul emotions the enemy's song might have invoked.

Gliding high above his target, he matched its speed and course and, taking a readying grip on his weapon, dove at it. Just as they were about to collide, he swung, slicing it completely in half and passing through.

He pulled out of the dive and looked up to see his handiwork. "What..?" The creature was somehow still alive and unbisected. It glided along and continued to sing as though nothing happened.

The Emperor was much lower now, and in that dead air it would be impossible for him to generate enough lift to get him back up. Instead he clasped his Staff Axe between his teeth and flew over to the Tower of Flesh. The soft surface provided an easy purchase for his claws and hooves. Swiftly he climbed up until he was at the level as the creature, then he jumped off.

He caught up and took a second swipe at its shapeless black from, and this time there was no mistaking it. The blade went through. For a moment the thing was completely in half, but quickly the dark, smoke-like tendrils that seemed to make it up latched on to each other and pulled it whole again.

Seeing this, the Emperor changed tactics. If his weapon wasn't having an effect, he wouldn't use it. He strapped it to his back, waited hovering for his target to come around again, and then jumped on it.

The black stuff had no substance so he plunged his arms in, his claws meeting some sort of solid flesh and tearing blindly at it. This had a powerful effect.

The thing inside the darkness stopped singing and was now screaming a high-pitched, ears-bleedingly loud howl as it writhed and twisted itself around to face him.

It had claws of its own, and it scratched at him furiously as his world was suddenly filled with kicking, beating wings, blood, black mercurial smoke, and the rushing air of a free-fall.

Down, and down they fell into the dark, abandoned depths of the Cloister until they finally hit the very bottom.

This place had a sickly heat to it, and an even more putrid stench. Though the rusted braziers on the walls had long ago gone out, there was a weak, eerie light being cast by a thousand generations of phosphorescent fungi. The floor was covered in moldy water and countless bones, both new and ancient, the walls were brown and flaking with all the caked blood that had ever trickled down here, and over all of this was woven thick, root-like veins that pulsated in time to the heavy *lub-dub* of the Tower of Flesh's heartbeat.

The Emperor groaned as he lay still and tried to recover the wind that was knocked out of him by the impact. As he sat up, a booted foot planted itself on his chest and pushed him back down. He could see in the faint glow that the black smoke had lessened, and formed into a man-like shape somewhat smaller than himself.

"You can drop your glamor, _human_." the Emperor spat at it. "I know what you are."

What he got in response was a snicker. An echoing, evil sound. "Human? Hardly," it said in a syrupy voice. "I am your worst nightmare, and I am finally going to rid this world of your filth." It ended that by gesturing at the detritus around them.

The Emperor, tired of being on the floor, pushed himself up against the restraining boot and aimed a swipe of the claws at the creature, who leapt a few feet away.

It laughed and said, "You can't win this fight, but don't worry. I'm not gonna kill you today. I want you to go back up there and tell all the rest of your _people_," he sneered that word, "that their end has come. It won't be swift, and it _won't_ be pleasant, because I want you to suffer everything you have wrought upon me and my own."

It looked up at the noise of crumbling stone. Massive chunks of masonry were crashing their way down to the bottom, and already the flow of water was picking up. Turning back to the demon it said, "Of course, if you want to warn them, you'll have to survive this next bit."

The Emperor had no choice. He took to the air just on time as the ocean finally burst into the chamber through multiple gushing entrances. Even as it poured through, it ate the cracks and holes wider so that soon the walls would give out entirely.

Luckily the displacement of air to water created a powerful updraft that he could ride, spiraling to the top, dodging rock and water all the while. When he reached one of the tunnel entrances, he stopped and looked back.

The Cloister was already half full with water and debris, the sound of its churning mixed with a gurgling death-rattle as the Tower slowly drowned. He was watching for his enemy in case he needed to block the passage, but in all the chaos he only thought he caught a single glimpse of eyes filled with satisfaction and madness before they vanished.

It was with a heavy heart and bone-weary limbs that he made his way up the rest of the tunnel. When he finally came out, the Emperor found himself facing the entire demon population, huddled together, comforting little ones, and in some places, sobbing. That's when the full weight of what just happened hit him.

His poor, hideous people just lost their only sanctuary in a world that had every reason to hate and fear them. They were doomed.

All he wanted to do was fall to the ground and weep, but with his subjects watching he held his head up and walked into their midst with confidence. He barely got three steps before Churl was upon him.

"Thank the Gods!" cried the old Warfather. "We feared the worst."

He began to fuss over the Emperor's numerous cuts, but was swatted off with a brusque, "I'm fine."

"Forgive me, my lord. I forget myself," he said as he bowed back.

A number of other demons came forward and one nervously asked, "And what of the Cloister, sire?"

The Emperor did not answer. Instead he closed his eyes and bowed his head, and catching on, they mimicked him as the melancholy gesture spread through their ranks.

The silence stretched for a long moment, before the Emperor finally broke it by looking around and the unharmed ranks of his army and asking, "Was there no battle here?"

"No, my lord," Churl answered. "We can see them flying, but they don't attack." He pointed up at the sky, where dark shapes could be seen flitting against the stars.

The Emperor stared at them, a quiet rage smoldering in his chest. "They're toying with us."

* * *

Lita had moved her chair outside the unbearably hot tent, and was sitting with her back to the door. She was leaned back, with her arms crossed and her legs stretched out, her chin resting on her chest, and soft snores emanating from her slightly opened mouth.

As evening finally settled on the town, and the lights kicked on, she was roused by a soft touch on her shoulder. The moment she came to full consciousness, she was aware of a tall, dark form looming behind her.

She was up in a flash, dropping into a battle stance and brandishing her weapon at the unknown assailant.

"Didn't mean to startle you." It was the Guardian, sunglasses back on and dressed in his full regalia. He even managed to get his robes back, which thankfully no longer smelled of rotten eggs. "But you may want to be awake for this."

"For what?" asked Lita, not relaxing in the slightest.

"They're here..."

Her eyes widened, wether in alarm or excitement she wasn't sure. "The Black Host?"

The Guardian only smirked. "No need to sound so worried. I'll be able to take care of it. You just make sure no one fights them, especially not Eddie. Got it?"

"I..." before she could get anything out, she was cut off.

"Lita? Lita!" That was Mangus, who was running and stumbling towards her up the pathway from the center of town.

Lita turned away to look at him, and when she turned back the Guardian was gone. As she stared around for the missing entity, Mangus reached her and, slightly out of breath, said, "Eddy's back! He says something's wrong and to meet him by the big sword."


	10. Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery

**Sorry about the long delay. Life kinda caught up to me.**

**

* * *

**

The creature on the cross-guard wasn't doing anything threatening, and yet Eddie couldn't shake the strange bloodlust that was building up in him. His 'run away' mechanism having never fully developed, he wanted to fly up there and rip that thing apart with his bare hands.

Disturbed by this new instinct, he forcibly pushed it deep within him and turned to Ophelia as though nothing was wrong. "So, do you think that's one of..."

What he didn't expect was for something to be terribly wrong with her too. In the couple of seconds he wasn't paying attention to her, she had gone pale and was trembling uncontrollably.

Eddie knowingly placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, it's okay. That noise is doing freaky shit to me too."

She drew closer to him, but shook her head. "I don't hear anything, but..." she swallowed thickly, "I want to _kill_ you. It's just come over me all of a sudden."

Worried, he squeezed her tighter and glared up at the creature. "Just hang in there, babe. I think I know what's causing this." Now his desire to kick its ass was purely personal. He would have done so immediately, but Lita and Mangus were running up and he figured he should at least let the Queen of Bladehenge in on the situation before fighting a monster in her town.

"Hey Lita, guess what. I think the Black Host finally decided to show." he jabbed a thumb towards the offending monster.

To his surprise she merely glanced at it and said, "I know. Your friend told me."

"He's awake? That's great!"

Lita immediately squashed his happy expression with her next words. "He also said not to fight them."

"_Awe fuck_!" he whined. "But it's doing weird shit to Ophelia." He indicated his panicking girlfriend.

Lita stared at Ophelia with concern, and maybe a little bit of fear. "I... I see. I still don't think you should fight them." He groaned, but before he could speak, she added, "That Ozzrael... he said he'd deal with this."

"Well he sure is taking his fucking time," he practically growled.

Shocked, Lita looked him over as he scowled back at her. His demonic eyes burned with barely suppressed rage, something she had seen plenty of times in her people, and in herself. On the ever amiable Eddie it was just plain wrong. Then it hit her. "It's effecting you too, isn't it?"

He looked away and took a deep, calming breath. Almost against his will his wings unfurled. He pushed Ophelia towards the blond and said, "Take care of her for me?"

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily as she put an arm around the shoulders of her shaking friend.

Eddie put a hand out. "Relax. I'm not gonna fight it, but I can't stand sitting here and waiting. I'm just going to go... ask it to leave."

Ophelia Frowned up at him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Eddie... don't..." But it was no use.

As he took to the air Lita shouted, "Hey! Get back here!"

To which he responded, "I said relax!"

"And _I_ said get back down here before I cram my Halberd so far up your ass you'll be tasting metal!"

Mangus watched her shake her fist at his fellow roadie and said, "That's not gonna make him want to come back, you know."

Lita sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I just... I feel strange. I think it must be effecting me too."

Meanwhile Eddie landed on the sword and finally got a good look at the creature. It was hunkered down against the cross-guard, all black feathers and wispy shadows that brought to mind Ophelia's power back when she was Drowned. One arm protruded from the cocoon of darkness. The dead, white skin sagged off thin bones, and sharp, cracked black nails tapped against the mossy stone with an impatient rhythm.

And that sound...

When Eddie was in the Third Grade his class had gone on a field trip to the local aquarium. It was fun at first, pointing out the different sea creatures he had learned about in class and sneaking away to fawn over the sharks with the other boys. Then they entered the whale exhibit.

It was the humpback whales. He remembered that there had only been pictures of them, and the guide explained they were too big to survive in captivity. There were speakers playing a high quality recording of their vocalizations, but while the rest of the students oohed and awed at the beautiful 'song,' Eddie clapped his hands over his ears and broke into tears. Sure, the main sounds were okay, but there was another, impossibly deep noise that thrummed through his mind like a giant jackhammer and filled him with an inexplicable panic. The teacher didn't believed him until he threw up. After that, his Dad had been called to take him home.

This was the same kind of sound, but without the beautiful upper tones.

The creature didn't acknowledge his presence, so he took out his axe and said, "Sorry, but you can't perch here. This is Ironheade territory."

The thing shuffled and turned towards him, letting out a long, rattling breath.

Eddie felt a chill race up his spine and heard a blood curdling scream coming from the ground. He looked down in time to see Ophelia collapse to her knees and sob as both Lita and Mangus trying to comfort her. It was very hard not to kill the thing right there, but he held fast and said, "Seriously, asshole. Beat it."

"Insolent abomination!" it hissed in a voice like poison dripping off a viper's fangs.

Suddenly Eddie felt cold and feverish and sick to his stomach all at once.

"Disgusting," it went on. "It's disgusting... foul... Let me _kill_ it. Let me rend its _flesh_. Let me tear its soul to _shreds_."

"Oh shit..." said a breathless Eddie as he pressed a shaking hand to his forehead. "Your voice is all fucked up, buddy."

With a screech like a thousand murderous birds, it dove at him. It wasn't heavy at all, and didn't connect very hard, but it moved so fast, and Eddie was so shaken that they both fell backwards off the sword.

As she watched them land with a dull thud, Lita screamed, "Eddie!"

Luckily the fall wasn't enough to phase him, and he got back up saying, "I'm okay, and don't start about the whole '_no fighting_' thing. It attacked me." The creature on the other hand, was lying motionless on the ground. After nudging the black mass with his foot, he turned to his friends. "I think I killed it..."

The moment his back was turned, the thing jumped on him.

Wha ever was in there was big; almost as big as he was, and he could feel it digging its nails into his leather vest. Eddie's first instinct was to axe it in the head, but he realized that hitting it with a sharp object and not getting himself would be nearly impossible. So he settled for jumping back and slamming it into the ground.

This did nothing. When he rolled over and got back up, it was still there chuckling in his ear. Suddenly its dark veil of power engulfed his head, and, with his eyesight gone, he panicked. "Get it off! Get it off!" he screamed as he blindly flailed about.

Lita would have attacked it with her halberd, but again, it would too easy to hit Eddie as well. Besides, Ophelia was still clinging to her with a death grip. All she, and everyone else who was watching could do was try to stay out of range of his axe.

For lack of a better solution, he started ramming himself backwards into any sturdy surface he could find: the wall, speakers, a porta-potty. Only when he backed into a floodlight did the creature scream in pain and let go.

For a second, its dark aura faded and Eddie could see the white skinned being clawing at its eyes. It recovered quickly, but Eddie already knew what to do.

"Mangus! I need you to-" but the thing jumped at him before he could finish.

Eddie rolled out of the way and it took to the air, diving in and out at him with all the agility of an angry swallow. He kept his eyes on it, and when it came in for the third pass, he managed to get it with his axe... only instead of loosing a limp and squirting blood everywhere, it split in two and passed neatly around the weapon and its wielder.

It came back together just as it hit the ground, then sprang at Eddie once more from behind.

This time he was ready for it. He plunged his hand into the darkness and, finding the purchase he knew was there, swung it around into a stand full of lights.

As it screamed Eddie took that moment to yell, "Seriously Mangus! Go and... _woah!"_

He he moved his head as the creature tried to rake it's nails across his face, catching and tearing the shoulder of his vest instead.

"Go and do what?" Mangus yelled back.

But Eddie didn't answer. He was glaring at his ripped clothes, and then up at the creature. "That was my lucky vest you mother-fucking shit stain!" and with that he was in the air.

"Eddie wait! I don't know what you want me to do!" Mangus went running after them.

Lita, her arms still around her friend, could only watch them swirl around above the town and mutter, "_What _is going on?"

What she didn't expect was an answer.

"That stubborn son-of-a-bitch is gonna get himself killed, that's what."

She looked over her shoulder to see the Guardian had seemingly appeared out of thin air right behind her.

"Quickly now," he said. "How do you turn up the lights?"

* * *

Eddie quickly caught up to the creature and, knowing his weapon wouldn't do anything, punched it hard enough that it crashed to the side of one of the newer stone buildings. He then landed right next to it and started pummeling at it so hard he didn't notice that it's black aura was swallowing him whole. By the time he did it was too late.

He was completely trapped within the creature's dark powers.

Mangus, and a bunch of other people who were watching stood staring in horror at the pulsating, inky glob that seemingly ate their hero.


End file.
